


Kingdom Hearts 3 Re: Imagined

by HappyCamper41



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Criticism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:53:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyCamper41/pseuds/HappyCamper41
Summary: Everybody and their mother seems to be thinking of these, so I decided to take a swing at writing how I would've handled Kingdom Hearts 3 (knowing what I do now), as a fan who thoroughly enjoyed the actual game, but at the same time wanted a lot more from it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know in the comments what you guys think of this. I've read like seven different rewrites for the game at this point, and this is more or less how I would've liked to have seen it (given that I've played the actual game).

Foreword:

A couple substantial changes to the overall game I would make. First off, I would have the order of the Disney Worlds be mandatory, since I’m placing plot relevant events in many of the worlds. In my opinion, the canon screwed up badly by making ALL of the Disney worlds irrelevant to the overarching plot (perhaps even worse than KH2 in that regard), and forcing their order would help ensure that the story is told in a proper fashion.

Also, I would expand the playable character list, but not dramatically. In addition to playable Sora, Riku, and Aqua, I would add Kairi and Young Master Eraqus to the roster. Kairi so that we complete the original Kingdom Hearts trio, and a playable Eraqus could help more with backstory regarding him and Master Xehanort, something I feel the actual game handled reasonably well, but could’ve been improved.

LAND OF DEPARTURE:

Before even the opening cinematic plays, the player gains control of Young Eraqus. Him and the Young Xehanort are simply hanging out, and talking. The player is given the bare bones tutorials on walking around, and locking on to targets. Perhaps we even get a combat tutorial from sparring with Xehanort, but Young Eraqus just plays as a clone of Sora or Riku to save money. Xehanort laments how even though they’re being trained in the ways of the keyblade, he still feels as though he’s barely left the Destiny Islands he was raised on. Eraqus agrees with him, also craving an adventure of his own, but also encourages Xehanort to be a bit more patient about it.

During their conversation, they make reference to a young Yen Sid, also a keyblade wielder in training, but we don’t get to see him, since Young Yen Sid would probably give us all nightmares. The scene ends with Xehanort breaking out the ‘chess’ board, just as Face My Fears begins to play, and the opening cinematic begins. The title card for the game is also shown, confirming the beginning of another epic adventure.

Station of Awakening:

This plays out pretty much the same as in canon. Sora’s growth throughout the previous games is shown through the memories and evolving clothes, and necessary ability choices are made. I’d personally keep the sword / shield / staff choice from the original games, but the memory choice is totally fine. 

However, when Sora goes to battle the darkside heartless, Sora sees Master Xehanort, and the whole landscape turns to darkness. Similar to the first game, Sora’s vision ends with him being consumed by darkness after his weapon vanishes without warning. Sora wakes up, visibly shaken from the experience, to a worried Donald and Goofy onboard the Gummi Ship.

OLYMPUS:

Just like in the actual game, Sora arrives at Olympus, and gets disrespected by an annoyed Hades, up to no good as always. The titans send our spiky-haired protagonist down to Thebes, where Herc manages to save him and his allies. Sora tells Herc that he’s lost his power, and that he needs to reclaim it because his friends need him. Maleficent and Pete don’t appear here, or anywhere else, since they serve no ultimate purpose.

Throughout this world, and the game at large, Sora is going to become increasingly obsessed with shouldering as much responsibility as possible, still upset about how poorly Dream Drop Distance turned out for him. Whenever possible, he’s going to encourage his allies to stay on the sidelines while he handles things. 

Herc tells him that he has to commit everything he has, and persevere like crazy if he wants to get his powers back, and it won’t be easy. Herc also adds something about relying on the people around him, like he does with Phil and Meg, but Sora kind of stops listening after he hears ‘work really hard.’ 

Xigbar appears, taunting like in canon. He tells Sora that after their last rodeo (Dream Drop Distance), Master Xehanort’s figured that Sora is towards the bottom of his hit list, since he doesn’t provide any meaningful threat. Sora lashes out, but is fortunately stopped from doing anything stupid by Donald and Goofy. The words sting Sora a lot, even as Herc assures him that they probably aren’t true. After all, anybody who’s not afraid to face Sora doesn’t know what they’re talking about! Or at least, that’s how Herc feels.

After defeating the Titans, Zeus gives Sora new clothes as a sign of gratitude, and opens up the ultimate colosseum: one within Olympus itself, telling Sora that there will be invaluable rewards bestowed on the winners. Herc reminds Sora of his desire to reclaim his strength, and points out that victory in the tournaments would help him a lot.

I think that bringing back the Colosseum is an obvious choice, especially since the various tournaments would be a spectacular outlet for putting Final Fantasy characters, and perhaps even some from other Disney movies. Since a Star Wars or Marvel world was never going to happen, why not just have Sora fight Loki at Olympus or something like that (Seriously though, that guy could easily be a KH boss, what with his scepter, teleportation abilities, and temporary cloning powers).

MERLIN TRAINING CHAMBER:

After Sora completes the Olympus chapter, the player is given control of Kairi. Both her and Axel are annoyed that they’ve been sidelined, Kairi in particular is upset given how her and Sora have been separated in the previous games. As Kairi, the player gets to take on a few groups of virtual enemies, to get a feel for how she plays.

Kairi also decides to write a letter to Sora, like in the actual game, but in this version, we get to see her writing it all, as opposed to it just being narration. While writing, the player is given irrelevant choices of what she can write in the letter. For instance, she can simply mention that she misses Sora, or that she’ll be really excited to fight beside him. Either way, making this scene slower in contrast to the fast-paced Olympus opening could be a nice break, and be useful for establishing her character for the game.

To celebrate their success, Axel decides to share ice cream, and like in the canon, he gets PTSD regarding Xion, causing the segment to end on a bit of a cliffhanger.

REALM OF DARKNESS:

Player takes control of Riku next, in the Realm of Darkness. Him and Mickey are tracking Aqua, walking through some reused assets from 0.2, but it isn’t going well, as they’re constantly losing the trail. Mickey suggests more caution, wanting to return to the Realm of Light, but Riku insists that they continue, since Aqua has been there for so long, and if anything, they’ve been way too cautious about saving her so far.

While he doesn’t explicitly say it, Riku is a bit cold with Mickey, making it clear that he’s angry that Mickey didn’t tell him sooner about Aqua. However, after a battle with the Demon Tower, Riku is unable to summon his keyblade (it doesn’t break, that was dumb). Shocked by the loss of his weapon, Mickey assures him that he shouldn’t worry, and that his old keyblade deserting him is actually a sign of greater maturity. Unable to progress without a weapon, Riku bitterly agrees to return home.

Having finished segments with Sora, Kairi, and finally Riku, we’ve hopefully established all three characters, and where their characters are heading for this adventure. Sora is antsy, wanting to prove himself after recent failures, Kairi is eager to get out there and show what she’s learned, and Riku wants to save Aqua and the others as quickly as possible, especially since he feels like he could’ve done more in the past.

MYSTERIOUS TOWER:

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey all arrive at roughly the same time. Despite being close friends, the tension of the situation leaves them all at each other’s throats a bit. After learning of the events in the Dark Realm, Sora basically says that “If I was there, things would’ve been different,” which sets off a chain of arguments amongst the squad.

Master Yen Sid angrily tells them to calm down, if not for their sake, for the sake of all that they’re trying to save. That way we can establish the fact that Xehanort wants to destroy THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, something that the actual game only seems to reference in passing maybe twice.

Yen Sid then offers exposition regarding Terra, Aqua, and Ventus (in an ‘as you already know’ sort of format), and suggests that they give up on finding Aqua for the time being, since the trail has gone cold. This sobers everyone, and the necessary apologies are offered.

Master Yen Sid explains that through his magic, he has detected the Organization’s power spreading throughout the worlds, and that they must be stopped. Yen Sid explains that Sora’s keyblade has the power to seal keyholes, and that protecting the worlds in this manner is probably necessary.

Twilight Town is the first on Sora’s list of destinations.Yen Sid encourages Riku, telling him that his keyblade leaving him is a sign of personal growth within him, and that he’ll most likely be able to summon a new one soon, before sending Mickey and Riku to investigate leads about Terra in Radiant Garden.

TWILIGHT TOWN Part 1:

The same opening to this world, where the Demon Tide attacks, but quite a bit changes in the aftermath. The locals of the city all witness the battle, and are astounded by Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s heroics. They throw dozens of questions at him, and Sora is uncomfortable with all the attention. Sora is at a loss for words when Hayner, Pence, and Olette emerge from the crowd to greet him and protect him from the inquiring people.

The trio explains that not terribly much has changed here in Twilight Town since Sora’s last visit, but they keep running into more and more of the heartless and nobodies, and they’re becoming an increasing nuisance. Sora quickly explains that with his keyblade, he’ll be able to stop the heartless from destroying the town if he’s able to find the keyhole. Pence suggests that the location might be hidden within Ansem the Wise’s computer, so they set out for the mansion.

More of the town is playable, and a lot of additional content is added as well. Some might think that the small Twilight Town we’re given in game is the result of budget being spent elsewhere… they’re kind of right, but also wrong at the same time.

It’s abundantly clear that Square Enix had the money to spend on making certain things awesome, and just chose to spend it on other things. For instance, in my version of the game, we don’t get the Classic Kingdom Minigames. They’re kind of neat, but they ultimately feel pointless unless you’re going for Platinum. Instead, I would add a Fix-it-Felix Jr. arcade machine from the Wreck it Ralph movie as a minigame, where the Ralph summon is given as a prize for beating it. I also wouldn’t include the Battlegates, and instead would just bring back the Colosseum Tournaments. My point is that Square clearly had the time and money to add these types of content to the game, and made an active choice not to.

Back to the story, however. We’re given necessary introductions to Remy and Uncle Scrooge. Investigation of the mansion computer gives Sora the keyhole’s location, probably around behind the mansion, or perhaps on the clocktower. Either way, the player is given a reintroduction to the idea of sealing the keyholes as a default objective when exploring worlds, and Twilight Town is well-established as a hub world.

If we're really feeling ambitious, we could even have Sora get ice cream with Hayner, Pence, and Olette as a closing to the world.

TOY BOX:

This chapter plays out in almost identical fashion to the canon. Sora, Donald, and Goofy end up as toys, finding all the missing friends in the giant toy store. Add in finding the keyhole, since that’s a thing in this version. However, in this version, Sora actually looks like Verum Rex, since there’s pretty much no resemblance to be had in the actual game, which was odd, given how much Rex brought it up.

There is also more available for exploration within Andy’s house, but this is ultimately a very minor complaint. I wouldn’t have minded an actual boss fight with Young Xehanort, but I understand why this didn’t happen at such a low level.

TWILIGHT TOWN Part 2:

Sora and company have been summoned to Twilight Town by Merlin, at the Bistro where Sora is surprised by Kairi and Axel appearing, having finished their training (because why would you make time irrelevant for their training just to have them arrive at the end of the game anyways???).

While in Twilight Town, Sora finds that people in the city have been creating fan merchandise as a thank you for his heroics (like that cartoon playing at the theater in the corner). This world will be evolving throughout the game.

Axel has a special mission, spying on the Organization at the Keyblade Graveyard, and Kairi is going to be accompanying Sora to his next destinations for the time being. Sora, while happy to see them, admits to himself that he’s a little upset that more people (Kairi) are ending up in danger. 

TOTAL MISSED OPPORTUNITY:

Sora’s inner monologue is interrupted by a screaming Scrooge McDuck, who reveals a newspaper article that has a very negative review of the Bistro’s food, much to Sora and Remmy’s shock.

The author of the review is a guy called Mr. Scientia? Nobody at the table has heard of him, but the man reveals himself from across the restaurant. Ignis Scientia, chef extraordinaire, and personal adviser to Prince Noctis, believes that the bistro is “second rate.”

Tensions flare, with Donald in particular losing his temper at the insolent man. The rest of the FFXV crew appears as well, to defend Ignis’s honor. A set of challenges are introduced, to be completed at the player’s leisure, involving each of the party members from FFXV.

A cooking challenge against Ignis, for example. And rather than having the moogles assign photo missions, it plays into a competition between Sora and Prompto. Perhaps a sandlot battle with Noctis, and maybe some kind of item gathering challenge with Gladio.

How did this or something like this not make it into the game???


	2. Chapter 2

Corona:

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi arrive in the Kingdom of Corona. Kairi, still new at this, is a bit confused by the idea of ‘sealing a keyhole,’ and Sora explains that it’s something he’s been doing since his first adventure. Sora is still uncomfortable with Kairi’s presence, but welcomes her nonetheless. Fun banter with Donald and Goofy ensues as well, with the two of them making fun of how much he talked about her on their previous adventures.

Intro scene with Flynn is the same, but Marluxia appears quickly afterwards. Sora doesn’t remember him, but Marluxia taunts that there is a history between them. After Sora doesn’t understand, Marluxia offers to show him what he’s missing, and subsequently hits Sora with a blast of power (like what he does in canon during the night with the lanterns), knocking Sora unconscious. Marluxia laughs, and vanishes afterwards, leaving a swarm of nobodies.

The player is given control of Kairi for a quick nobody battle, with Donald and Goofy as party members. If we want, we could even make the fight extra gimmicky, with a ‘defend Sora’ type of objective, where he can only take a certain amount of damage. After defeating the nobodies, Kairi grabs onto Sora, attempting to wake him, but to no avail. Goofy suggests going to that Flynn guy for help, and proceeds to carry Sora with the help of Donald.

The initial discovery of the Tower is the same, but we’re in control of Kairi instead. The trio manages to approach Flynn, asking him for help, and the scene ends when Rapunzel tells them that she can handle it, much to the surprise of everyone.

Station of Awakening:

Inside the Station of Awakening, Sora is guided by Namine’s voice. He is surrounded by memories he doesn’t recognize, all from his adventure in COM. He recognizes Namine voice (from the ending of KH2), but she explains to him that there’s a lot that he’s missing from his memories.

Thorny rose vines begin to sweep over the area, and Sora sees some kind of nightmare Marluxia figure that makes him inexplicably angry. After a very quick boss battle where he fights the nightmare off, he gets to meet Namine face-to-face, and she explains to him that he had to sacrifice his memories of his time in Castle Oblivion so he could retain literally everything else. Confused, Sora ends up asking her what the deal is with Marluxia, but Namine is tight-lipped about it, instead warning him not to let Marluxia goad him into a fight.

Sora asks if he can reclaim the memories he has lost, and Namine explains that Marluxia has already begun the process, when he hit Sora, but in doing so wounded his heart severely. However, she encourages him, telling him not to worry, and to say hi to Kairi for her…

As he stares at her face, she morphs into Kairi, and then the background changes back into Corona, with Donald and Goofy also calling him back to consciousness.

Back to Corona:

Much to Sora’s surprise, he’s wrapped in blonde hair. It turns out that Rapunzel was able to heal him with her powers, and that Kairi, Donald, and Goofy were lucky enough to encounter her and Flynn. We get exposition about Rapunzel’s hair and Mother Gothel, and Flynn jokingly mentions that he owed them one from when they saved him earlier, but it’s clear that everybody is on edge, and that the handsome rogue feels a bit guilty considering that he left Sora to deal with the heartless earlier.

Upon learning that Rapunzel wants to go to the Kingdom, Sora and his team agree that Corona is probably their best chance at finding the keyhole, and decides to accompany them. Sora confides in his allies about what happened with Namine, much to Kairi’s surprise. Kairi mentions that she would love a chance to speak with her other half again, and Sora happily tells her that Namine was thinking of her too.

The story progresses like it did in canon, but with Kairi being there of course. Flynn isn’t a party member, just an NPC accompanying the group. Sora and Kairi connect Rapunzel’s joy at seeing the world for the first time with their own eagerness to leave the island at the beginning of KH1. Additionally, Sora finds himself remembering more and more about his time in Castle Oblivion, courtesy of Marluxia. 

The scene where the carriage heartless attacks plays out a bit differently. Sora warns Flynn and Rapunzel to stay clear, and tells Kairi to stay back and protect them. It’s pretty clear that Sora just wants Kairi to get out of the way, a detail that the redhead doesn’t miss, and approaches him about after the fight. Sora defends his actions at first, claiming that her was merely trying to keep Flynn and Rapunzel safe, causing a bit of a rift between the two of them.

However, the two make up on the night of the lanterns, once they reach Corona. When the two of them end up in a boat together, Sora apologizes for his actions, admitting that he was apprehensive about her being here at all, given her lack of experience, and even acknowledges his recent obsession with handling everything himself. Kairi forgives him, and acknowledges that she is in fact new to all of this, but doesn’t want him to be worried about her constantly. After all, she’s just glad that the two of them are on an adventure together now.

Rapunzel’s discovery of her own origins is paralleled with Sora discovering more about his time in Castle Oblivion. This comes to fruition as from their boat, Sora spots Marluxia on the coastline, beckoning him to approach. An image of Marluxia holding Namine as human shield from Chain of Memories flashes across Sora’s mind, filling the young hero with fury. He abruptly tells Kairi that he has something to take care of, and that she needs to go find Donald and Goofy.

Kairi is upset, especially since they just talked about this, but Sora tells her that facing a member of the Organization is whole new level of danger beyond the heartless, one that she isn’t ready to face just yet, and repeats that she needs to go get Donald and Goofy. Visibly angry, Kairi watches as Sora rushes into the woods after the graceful assassin.

Scary night time segment ensues in the swamps, where Marluxia’s voice seems to be everywhere. It’s a very tense scene, and Marluxia is made to be as haunting as possible. Sora eventually manages to catch up to him, however, and a boss battle ensues.

After a few bars of health, a cutscene plays where Marluxia summons swarms of scythe-wielding nobodies to back him up, pushing Sora to the limit. Just as Sora is about to be taken out, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all arrive just in time to fight them off and save him. Kairi is less than pleased, and Donald makes no secret of his disapproval either. Sora profusely apologizes to the group, admitting that his actions were beyond reckless, and almost got him killed. An apology that Donald accepts, and Kairi agrees to, just so long as he doesn’t pull a stunt like that, as her face fades from anger into deep worry.

Sora then asks where Flynn and Rapunzel are, and it’s revealed by Donald and Goofy that the events of the movie and the canon game happened (Flynn’s arrest and Rapunzel’s capture by Mother Gothel), leaving Sora to feel extra guilty. The four are resolved to save their newfound friends. World progresses pretty much the same from here on out. Flynn escapes, and everybody travels back to the tower for a final showdown with Mother Gothel’s heartless. The keyhole is found at the base of the tower.

While not visibly angry, Kairi is still clearly upset with Sora, and Flynn gives Sora advice about making up with her, guy-to-guy.

Mysterious Tower:

Everybody except for Axel makes it back to the Mysterious Tower (Axel is still spying on the Organization). Riku and Mickey tell the group that they’ve learned that Terra has been possessed by Master Xehanort, leaving a legacy of evil. Riku laments that he still doesn’t have a keyblade, and the tension between Sora and Kairi leaves them both silent for most of the conversation.

Master Yen Sid reminds everybody of Ventus’s coma, and deduces that Aqua is the only member of that trio that can be saved at the moment. He then tasks Riku and Mickey with returning to the Realm of Darkness, and tracking her down. Riku, however, reminds the old man that he’s in no position to help. Sora is about to volunteer in his place, but awkward eye contact between him and Kairi causes him to stop.

Instead, Kairi asks Master Yen Sid what worlds need to be travelled to next, and he informs the group that he has detected the organization’s presence at the Caribbean, a world that Sora, Donald, and Goofy are all familiar with. She immediately says that they should hold off on a mission to the Dark Realm, at least until she and Sora have had more time to get stronger, and Riku has a new keyblade.

The entire group minus Mickey is then commissioned to travel to the Caribbean, and assist Sora in sealing the world’s keyhole.

Caribbean:

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all arrive in the Caribbean. All five are given pirate designs, and this will probably be the longest Disney World, as I’m envisioning playable segments for all three protagonists. I also wouldn’t base the Caribbean off of a specific film in that franchise, and would instead opt to just write a completely original plotline for the world. Our protagonists would start just outside of Port Royal, and be approaching the city for the initial dialogue. Riku isn’t a part of the party just yet, since he lacks a keyblade.

The world map would be slightly edited as well. Pretty much all existing locations would be there (minus the final boss area), but I would add in a very large island towards the middle of the Caribbean, where major events for the world would unfold. 

The tension between Sora and Kairi is immediately evident, and Riku quickly pulls Sora aside to ask about it. Sora tells Riku that he’s been pretty dumb lately, and isn’t sure how he can make it up to her, to which Riku tells Sora that he just needs to talk to her, and admit that he’s made some mistakes, and she’s sure to understand.

But before Sora can accept or reject this advice, Donald and Goofy spot Jack Sparrow on the dock. Greetings naturally ensue, and Jack is introduced to Riku and Kairi. Jack, accompanied by Will Turner and Elizabeth, explains that Port Royal has been besieged by Heartless and Nobody fleets for weeks on end, and that defending it has become increasingly difficult. Jack was actually planning on taking the Black Pearl on a secret mission at nightfall, in hopes of tracking down and destroying an enemy flagship of some kind, and offers Sora a spot on the crew.

Our heroes agree to help, and the player is given a minute to go explore Port Royal, and is told to speak to Jack on the dock when they’re ready to set sail.

After some kind of major engagement in the middle of the ocean in which Luxord is revealed, the Pearl is left damaged, and Sora has been separated from the rest of the team, stranded on the largest island by himself.

The Pearl is now anchored on the far end of the island, barely seaworthy, and Riku and Kairi are desperate to save Sora. Riku realizes that without a weapon, he’ll be of little use. Kairi takes Donald and Goofy, and goes after her boyfriend(?), leaving Riku to stay on the ship with Jack to work on repairs. 

We’re given control of Riku first, and he begins to confide in Jack. Using vague terms to protect the world order, Riku laments not being able to save Aqua when he was in the Realm of Darkness. He mentions that he’s very upset that despite how Mickey is one of his closest friends, Mickey didn’t tell him about how she was trapped. Jack offers little to the conversation besides his ear, and Riku confides even more.

Riku admits to even older wounds, dating all the way back to KH1. Riku laments how he failed Sora and Kairi back then, and how he let himself get corrupted when they needed him, all from a petty jealousy when Sora got the keyblade. Now he’s made up with them, but he feels distant. Jack consoles him in a way, but also challenges the boy to do better. Their conversation is interrupted when a group of Heartless attacks the ship.

The player is allowed to roam around, unable to help, while Jack barks out orders, telling the crew to abandon the island. Riku tells him no way, not while Kairi, Donald, and Goofy are still out there, but Jack snaps back that they won’t have a ship to get back to if they don’t try to make it back to Port Royal with what little they have left. Riku tells Jack that he won’t abandon Sora and Kairi, and jumps off of the boat, weaponless, to go after them. Jack, briefly taken aback, is impressed by Riku’s audacity, and goes after him.

Play then switches to Kairi, who is with Donald and Goofy, searching for Sora back on the island. This playable segment is pretty brief, mostly just random enemy encounters and exploration, perhaps a heartless miniboss at the end. Donald and Goofy are cautious with the subject of Sora, but Goofy ends up asking her if she’s still mad at him.

Kairi is surprised by the question, and stops to talk about it. She explains that she isn’t really that mad at him, just worried. She’s annoyed that he went after Marluxia alone back in Corona, but more than anything she just hopes he doesn’t do something like that again, and she worried that nobody will be able to save him if he foolishly rushes an Organization member again. We have a comedic moment where Donald tells her that they’ve had to save Sora from making stupid decisions more times than he count, and that him and Goofy won’t stop taking care of him. While not totally appeased, Kairi does laugh, and thanks the two of them for watching over Sora for so long, especially when she hasn’t been able to. 

Personally, I think establishing a fun dynamic between Kairi, Donald, and Goofy would’ve been a great idea, especially if the dev team wanted Sora to face bigger threats by himself. I just think that entertaining dialogue with those three more or less writes itself, since they don’t know each other much, but all have the connection to Sora. Moreover, it seems like a fairly natural direction to take a sequel if Square wants to.

Their banter is interrupted when they spot the Black Pearl sailing away, much to their horror. They realize that they’re stuck until the ship returns, and that they need to find Sora as soon as possible.

Control flips to Sora, who awakens by himself on the beach. He begins to roam, not sure where he’s going, and he speaks out loud to himself, clearly unsure of what’s going on. The player ends up roaming down the beach, when Sora too manages to spot the Black Pearl leaving, and is immensely distressed. Luxord appears on the beach next to him, taunting Sora that he has been abandoned by his allies.

Sora insists that it’s not true, and attacks, but Luxord does card trickery and manages to elude him. Gameplay returns, and Sora is forced into some kind of miniature card labyrinth, and Luxord’s voice, similar to Marluxia’s in Corona, taunts Sora from an unknown location.

Eventually, a full boss battle breaks out when Luxord ambushes Sora. The battle is quick and easy, however, and Sora manages to overcome the trickster with relative ease. Luxord leaves with the cryptic message that Sora’s friends won’t be able to defend themselves so well. Sora

Back to Riku. Together, Riku and Jack have begun their trek through the island, and eventually happen upon a large cavern system (not underwater like the actual game). Jack speculates that Sora may have gone in there for cover, and the player is sent in to explore. For the time being, Riku can only use a few magic spells, since he is still without a weapon, forcing him to rely on Jack for most mob fights.

Deep within the cave, the duo encounters a heartless boss, and the player is forced into a battle. Without his weapon, Riku is smacked around easily, until another cutscene plays. 

In this scene, Jack is incapacitated, and Riku has an internal monologue where he realizes that for a lack of a better term, he’s been lonely. He sees that Sora and Kairi have each other, and even Axel, Donald, and Goofy to hang out with, whereas he’s been pretty much just been stuck with Mickey, who he’s not even on the best of terms with right now. Ever since his mistakes in KH1, he’s been distant, even though he’s made up for them.

It’s now that Riku completes his arc for the game, and realizes that he isn’t alone. He’s been forgiven for his mistakes, and is now a better man. He won’t let his past haunt him any longer, he’s going to save Aqua, and he’s going to forgive Mickey. It is now that Riku finally manages to summon his giant car key, and defeat the boss.

From here, either through cutscenes or through additional gameplay, our heroes all manage to reunite within the caverns, and are able to discover the Leviathan in a hidden harbor. Kairi and Sora embrace upon seeing each other, and everybody is impressed by Riku’s newfound keyblade. 

Sora, Riku, and Kairi all reminisce about the good old days when they built a dinky little raft to sail the oceans, but are now together commanding a vessel of their very own. Finally, after all this time, the three of them are able to go on an adventure together, despite all the obstacles placed in their path through the last few years.

The final segment of the world happens when the protagonists learn that Luxord and his fleets have launched an all out attack against Port Royal, and they have to rush back with the Leviathan as soon as possible.

A FEW ship battles (not as many as canon) happen, and a large-scale ground battle where we have to defend Port Royal unfolds, and our three protagonists are hailed as heroes for playing such an integral role in winning the battle. Perhaps another heartless boss battle as well, and then the world wraps up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are some big changes, so I might've gone crazy, but let me know what you guys think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time, just handling a return visit to Twilight Town and the Arendelle chapter this time around.

Twilight Town:

Shortly after their victory in the Caribbean, the party gains word from Mickey that Twilight Town is under attack! Immeasurably high amounts of heartless and nobodies are overwhelming the city, and the locals aren’t going to be able to hold out for much longer. Mickey is there already, but he thinks there’s more than he’s going to be able to handle, and he really needs the rest of the team.

Very shortly afterwards, the party arrives on Twilight Town, to see that the situation is spiralling out of control. After a quick mob fight with Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all as party members, the team manages to reunite with Mickey over at the mansion, who has managed to hole up there with Hayner, Pence and Olette for the time being.

Pence however, is busy in the basement, attempting to sift through Ansem the Wise’s data for a possible way to repel the attack (hint: this could be important).

Mickey begins to give directions, telling Donald and Goofy to follow Sora and regain control of the train station, while he and Riku go retake the city center. Meanwhile, he wants Kairi to stay behind and protect Pence’s operation. Kairi looks like she’s about to object, but Sora actually beats her to the punch, telling Mickey that Kairi’s more than capable of backing them up on a more important mission.

Surprised, Mickey double checks with Kairi, who is clearly touched by Sora’s comment, and concludes that Donald and Goofy can stay behind, while Sora and Kairi push to retake the train station. Basically, this is just showing the player that Sora has been paying attention, and is going to use more than just words to set things right with Kairi.

And so the battle begins, in a manner reminiscent of the battle of Radiant Garden in Kingdom Hearts 2. We get to see, both in cutscenes and gameplay, that the FFXV crew is battling the heartless, and that Little Chef and Uncle Scrooge have managed to fortify the Bistro. Other characters around Twilight Town, like Seifer, get to make an appearance as well, all making a gigantic stand against the heartless.

Play switches intermittently between Sora, Riku, and Kairi, as the two pairs move across the town, helping people out wherever they’re needed.

However, upon reaching the train station and killing a particularly powerful group of nobodies, Sora and Kairi encounter Xigbar, who is overseeing invasion of the town. Xigbar mocks them, especially Sora, asking him if he traded in his usual sidekicks (Donald and Goofy) for somebody that can actually fight, a comment that doesn’t sit well with Sora or Kairi, who both prepare to attack him.

Unfazed, Xigbar tells Sora that it doesn’t matter who he brings with him, the only thing that’s going to change is how many people die with him. To us, this is obviously just Xigbar trying to encourage reckless behavior out of Sora, but the boy in question is clearly very bothered by the jab, and Xigbar presses on.

Xigbar reminds Sora that alone, he wouldn’t have accomplished anything. He mocks Sora’s trademark “My friends are my power!” and says that what Sora really means is that without his allies, Sora is worthless. Kairi interjects at this point, telling Xigbar to shut up and basically go f*** himself, but in an e10 to t rated game kind of way. At that, Xigbar laughs, and leaves, knowing he’s gotten to Sora.

When Kairi tries to comfort him, Sora brushes her off, insisting that Twilight Town still needs them, and what Xigbar said doesn’t matter, even though it clearly did.

The player takes control of Riku again, who has just finished destroying an especially large heartless with Mickey, and perhaps Ignis. They are all surprised when another Organization member, Terranort, approaches them. Mickey is horrified to recognize what has happened to him, even though he’d already learned about his legacy on Radiant Garden. Terranort laughs at them, telling them that they’ll never save Aqua or Ventus, and that if they continue to resist Master Xehanort’s plans, they’ll end up like Terra did, slaves to the will of the old man.

It’s then that Mickey cuts in, telling Terranort that they won’t give up, and that it takes strength to resist the power of darkness, something he clearly doesn’t have. Riku adds that they are going to save Aqua, Ventus, and even Terra. It’s then that the camera zooms in on Terranort’s guardian, foreshadowing the way that it is revealed to be Terra during the game’s climax.

The battle wraps up quickly afterwards, when Sora and Kairi rejoin the team, but it’s clear that not everything is perfect, as Sora is still bitter about the confrontation with Xigbar, and Riku is quite upset to have seen Terra up close, and is reminded of how Ansem possessed him all the way back in KH1.

A return to the mansion confirms that Pence did find useful information in Ansem the Wise’s computer, but not about defending the city. Pence has learned that when Ansem the Wise put Roxas into the digital Twilight Town in KH2, he made what is essentially a digital copy of Roxas, that could be put into a vessel of some variety.

Riku begins to think about the replicas, remembering Chain of Memories, and Kairi is immediately interested in bringing back Namine, but Pence tells her that he hasn’t found anything like that, but is willing to keep on looking. Kairi is visibly disappointed, but remains hopeful that her other half could be brought back as well.

Mickey then tells Riku and Kairi that they need to accompany him back to the Mysterious Tower, and that Sora should press on to the next world, Arendelle, with only Donald and Goofy as his company.

Everybody seems to dislike this idea, Sora believing that he’s being shelved, and Kairi worried about leaving Sora’s side after how he handled things in Corona. Still angry about Xigbar, however, Kairi’s concerns cause Sora to flip sides, insisting mostly to Kairi that he can handle himself, and is more than capable of taking the mission to Arendelle without her or Riku to back him up.

Still concerned, Kairi is soothed by Donald, who reminds her of their conversation in the Caribbean, and how him and Goofy are more than adequate protection for her spiky-haired potential love interest.

Arendelle:

Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in Arendelle next. Their early dialogue establishes that Sora is determined to prove himself here. Goofy remarks that Riku and Kairi really lucked out, given just how cold it is here in this new world, and Sora more or less tells him to suck it up, prompting a concerned look between Donald and Goofy. We’re reminded that the Organization has been detected here as well, and that sealing the keyhole is the primary objective.

After the conversation with Elsa, Larxene reveals herself, and is moderately surprised that Sora remembers her. This brings back the plot point from Corona, that Sora is regaining his memories from COM, and gives Sora a reason to loathe Larxene in particular, as she quite literally smacked Sora around quite a bit in that game, and mocked him about his relationship with Namine.

Larxene doesn’t lock them in the ice labyrinth, and merely delays their progress to stop them from getting to Elsa immediately. She offers them cryptic dialogue about winning Elsa over somehow, which obviously concerns the trio quite a bit, especially when they learn that Arendelle is supposed to be in the middle of summer, and Elsa is the source of the winter wonderland around them, meaning that she is exceptionally powerful.

We get the ‘Let it Go’ music video, since they clearly had fun making that, and then Larxene appears again, offering more exposition. Sora tells her that they’ll stop Elsa from falling to darkness, but Larxene summons the dragon heartless monsters, and knocks them off the mountain. The trio does the whole sledding minigame, but once the dragons appear again at the bottom, the scene switches back to Elsa’s castle.

Elsa is brooding inside of her castle, and Larxene appears to speak with her. Elsa is obviously very suspicious of the newcomer, but Larxene assures her that she’s a friend. She tells Elsa that her power, her gift… it’s not unique. When Elsa is confused, Larxene demonstrates her own lightning powers, telling the young queen that she is very much like her. Larxene tells her that she knows the key to controlling her power fully…

We pick up with the heroes again, and battle the dragon heartless. After winning, the plot progresses much like in the canon, where Sora meets up with Anna and Kristoff. Unlike in the game, however, we’ve already been given most of the important plot details of the world from Larxene earlier on (we also skip hide and seek with Olaf). Sora tells Anna, to her immense concern, that Larxene is seeking Elsa out for her power. Sora quickly follows up with a promise that he’ll handle Larxene, if Anna can convince her sister to come home.

Together, our heroes manage to reach the top of the mountain. The sequence is a bit like the actual film, where Anna goes inside the castle to go and speak to Elsa, but Sora notices that the castle looks different from the last time her saw it… more sinister.

Anna goes to speak to Elsa alone, but Elsa tells her sister that she has a handle on the situation, thanks to Larxene. Anna tries to tell her that the Organization is bad news, but Elsa dismisses the notion, asking her “Is that what Sora told you?” Elsa then tells Anna that she doesn’t trust the keyblade hero, since he wouldn’t even tell her the truth about where they had come from, claiming to be in the kingdom for the coronation, but not even recognizing the person being coronated.

While Elsa is conflicted, Sora and the gang are in the lobby of the palace with Kristoff. They bond a little bit, Kristoff talking about Anna, admitting that he likes her, but acknowledging that she’s engaged. Sora feels bad for him, but isn’t at all sure of how to handle this admittedly delicate situation. Donald makes the bold comment that he thinks the two of them would be a great match, which Kristoff laughs off. The conversation is ended when a sudden commotion upstairs provokes them to head upstairs.

Upstairs, Elsa and Anna have begun to argue, and we get that bit from the film where Elsa accidentally shoots Anna. Larxene reappears, and Elsa lashes out at her, angry that embracing the darkness hasn’t helped her control her power. Larxene then turns on Elsa, telling her that the only way to save her sister is if Elsa gives in fully, and allows Larxene to possess her heart. Anna tells Elsa not to do it, but Larxene holds a metaphorical gun to the younger sister’s head, and Elsa gives in.

Arriving upstairs, we see that Elsa has been briefly ‘norted,’ complete with the golden eyes (she already has the hair, I just realized), and attacks Sora on sight. As Kristoff manages to escape with Anna, the player is forced into a boss battle, similar to the battle with Beast in Kingdom Hearts 2, to quell her rage. 

It isn’t enough, however, and Elsa creates Marshmallow to attack the party. We’re taken outside, where the boss plays out the same way as in the canon, minus falling off of the cliff bit. Instead, Marshmallow is quelled at the end of the boss battle, and joins party immediately.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy realize that Kristoff and Anna are still in the castle, and that Elsa still needs them. 

This leads to the party entering Elsa’s castle from the very bottom, as the bridge has been destroyed. For the inside of the corrupted castle, the game uses what was originally the ice labyrinth from earlier in the world, and this serves as a final segment for the world.

At one point in the Labyrinth, we get a boss battle with Larxene, in which Sora recalls specific details of how she treated Namine back in Chain of Memories. Larxene more or less reiterates what Xigbar said at Twilight Town, and mentions the way that Sora got himself in trouble back in Corona. She emphasizes the point that Sora is nothing when he’s alone, and that he’s really just wasting her and everybody else’s time. Sora is even more disgruntled after they manage to fight her off, and insists they push on, concerning Donald and Goofy even further.

At the top of the castle, the party approaches Elsa again, but Anna is still trying to talk her down. Just as Anna seems to be getting through to Elsa, Larxene reappears in time to try and silence her. Kristoff manages to save Anna from the first attack, but the organization member quickly throws him out of the way, leaving Anna without a defender. Elsa manages to reject the dark powers just in time to rescue Anna, fulfilling the act of ‘true love’ needed to save Anna from the ice injury. If we really want, we could even make a Return of the Jedi joke, and have Larxene be using force lightning on Anna until Elsa intervenes, but that’s probably a little bit too rough for Disney’s liking (granted, dark Elsa in general probably isn’t to their liking, but I digress)..

Just as Larxene is going to attack again, Sora and company arrive on the scene. Larxene leaves, bitterly admitting defeat, and leaving the party with the giant wolf heartless for our heroes to battle. However, Elsa participates in this battle as well, offering her ice powers in several cinematic reaction command-esque events, even though she isn’t a full party member.

Sora manages to seal the keyhole, and everybody is reunited in time to have a happy ending. We don’t know anything about how the drama with Prince Hans might play out, since he isn’t in this version of the world.

After winning, Donald and Goofy pull Sora aside. The two of them tell Sora that he doesn’t have to prove his worth to the team, and that he’s shown countless times that he’s more than enough. Sora points out that he’s only even won when he’s had his friends to help him, something that Goofy laughs off, telling Sora that it’s okay to rely on the people around him. Nobody can do it alone after all. Elsa needed Anna to overcome the darkness, and she needed Kristoff to help her out.

Donald reminds Sora that Riku and Kairi needed him back during the events in Kingdom Hearts 1, meaning that Sora’s reliance on his friends isn’t unique, and that Sora definitely isn’t just taking help from the people around him.

Basically, Donald and Goofy do what they told Kairi. They keep Sora’s head screwed on straight, and remain his most loyal allies to the end of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally didn't like this chapter all that much, but any positive or negative feedback is totally welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> Next Time: A radically different Corona, and a total reset of the Caribbean. Criticism welcome!


End file.
